Morning Mashup: More Marlies

Probable starter for the Leafs tonight in Buffalo, Ben Scrivens, has been named the AHL’s goaltender of the month for the month of March.

The American Hockey League announced today that Ben Scrivens of the Toronto Marlies has been named the Reebok/AHL Goaltender of the Month for March. Scrivens was 6-3-0 with a 1.40 goals-against average and led the league with a .952 save percentage and three shutouts as the Marlies closed in on a division title.

Scrivens began the month with a pair of hard-luck losses, making 31 stops in a 2-1 defeat to Rochester on March 3 and stopping 37 of 38 shots in a 2-0 setback to Binghamton on March 7. Scrivens helped Toronto get back in the win column by allowing just one goal over his next three starts combined, highlighted by shutouts in Hamilton on March 9 (23 saves) and in Grand Rapids on March 16 (31 saves). Scrivens posted three more consecutive wins, including a 36-save blanking at Lake Erie on March 24 and a 33-save effort in Rochester on March 30, before being recalled by the parent Maple Leafs and earning a victory vs. Buffalo on March 31.

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Scrivens, 21-14-1 with four shutouts in 37 appearances for the Marlies this season, leads the AHL with a 2.07 goals-against average and ranks third with a .925 save percentage. The second-year pro from Spruce Grove, Alta., made his NHL debut with the Maple Leafs earlier this season and is also 3-4-1 (2.97, .904) in nine NHL games on the year.-Marlies press release

Meanwhile, Mark Owuya has allowed only two goals in two games for the Marlies since stepping in to replace Rynnas and Scrivens. The Leafs lost both of their NHL (okay, by definition only) goalies to injuries and the Marlies are still getting good goaltending. The organization has had a lot of success in net at the AHL level, one of these guys has to end up a legitimate NHL goaltender at some point, right? Right!?

Joe Colborne will be up for his tenth game in the NHL this season to replace the injured Mikhail Grabovski, who lacerated his leg on Saturday. Remember that scorching hot start Colborne had alongside Crabb with the Marlies? Well, he sits with only 37 points in 60 games now after slowing down considerably in the last two months. His four points in nine NHL games means his big league scoring pace isn’t that far behind his AHL clip. Maybe the call up gives his confidence a boost just prior to the Marlies’ playoff run.

Alec Brownscombe is the founder of MapleLeafsHotStove.com, where he has written daily about the Leafs since September of 2008. He was also the editor of the 2009-13 Maple Leafs Annual magazines. You can contact him at [email protected]